David, I send my sincere condolences. I'm at least feeling better since she didn't have to suffer the consequences of that diagnosis! I'm so sorry to know one of our group is now going to be missing.
I don't want to be preachy but I am an RN clinical specialist, with a national certification in Wound Ostomy and Continence care. I'm sorry to say I see way to much of this kind of scenario. If you are over 50 with no family history, or over 40 with someone in your family who had colon cancer go get a colonoscopy. The prep is trying but the drugs make you forget everything! I forced myself to do the same last year. My primary care doctor had this story: he's married to an RN. She made him sleep in the garage until he agreed to do the test! Ok please forgive the divergence to a public service announcement but we can fight back....

Thank you, Susan. Sound PSAs are always a good thing.

Lost my Dad to colon cancer. I believe in colonoscopies -- get mine regularly.

Thank you David.

Sorry about your loss David. Thanks for sharing and welcome.

Thank you everyone.

Adding my condolences, David.

Tomorrow is the one year anniversary of Vi's death.

She has been thought of often during this past year. As long as we remember she will never be really gone.

I thought of her and her new blooms she was excited to get. I hope her garden was lovely this year in her memory.

How heartwarming to read the tributes to a woman who connected with so many of you, who had pride in her child and made the world more beautiful by showering it with flowers.

Very nicely said Cleta

The summer before she died, I sent her some rhizomes of Eagle's Flight -- she had admired mine. I thought of her this past summer when mine bloomed -- and was so sad that she never got to see hers bloom.

Oh Mary Ann I felt the same way with the ones I sent her. Especially Acoma because she said a clump of them reminded her of clouds.

She sent me two gift Irises that she ordered from Schreiners for me. When they bloomed last spring, I was sad again -- I couldn't tree-mail her and thank her again and show her pictures of the blooms.

She was a very special lady.